A strategic move that highlights the brand’s commitment to innovation and deepening its presence in the Kingdom

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Dyson is accelerating its expansion in Saudi Arabia with the launch of its latest Dyson Demo Store at Riyadh Park, a strategic move that highlights the brand’s commitment to innovation and deepening its presence in the Kingdom.

Strategically positioned at the mall’s main entrance, opposite Mont Blanc and Lululemon, the 128 sqm space offers an immersive and hands-on environment where visitors can experience Dyson’s latest technologies first-hand. From haircare and air purification, to intelligent floorcare and next generation audio, the new Demo Store puts the full innovative product range on display.

With growing demand for Dyson’s cutting-edge solutions in the Saudi market, the Riyadh Park location joins a growing portfolio of demo spaces across the Kingdom. The new store features two private styling stations and a wash basin, designed with veiled customers in mind, where visitors can book personal styling sessions and test Dyson’s advanced haircare tools in a comfortable setting.

In-store Dyson experts will walk shoppers through the brand’s latest haircare launches, such as the newly launched Dyson Supersonic r, the Dyson Airwrap i.d.™ multi-styler available in the latest colourway, Jasper Plum, the Supersonic Nural™ hair dryer, and the Airstrait™ wet-to-dry straightener. Each session is tailored to individual needs, helping customers choose the best tools for their hair type and styling routine.

Visitors can also discover Dyson’s latest innovations across other categories, including the 360 Vis Nav™ robot vacuum, which delivers edge-to-edge deep cleaning with advanced navigation, the Big+Quiet™ Purifier, engineered for powerful whole-room purification with minimal noise, and the recently launched Dyson OnTrac™ headphones, featuring immersive audio and 55-hour battery life.

The new store opening represents another significant milestone in Dyson’s expansion in the Kingdom, following the successful launch of the flagship store in Nakheel Mall, Riyadh last year and Red Sea Mall, Jeddah in March this year. Dyson remains dedicated to providing consumers with direct access to its cutting-edge technology, creating dedicated spaces for immersive, hands-on experiences. The brand continues to focus on enhancing the in-store experience, allowing customers in Saudi Arabia to explore, test, and discover its revolutionary technology up close.

Buy directly from the people who made it

All of Dyson’s products are available for purchase online at www.dyson.sa or from Dyson stores located in Nakheel Mall in Dammam and Riyadh, and Red Sea Mall in Jeddah.

Contact 

For more information, please contact:
Nadia Taha: nadia.taha@dyson.com
Weber Shandwick: Dyson@webershandwick.com
Or visit https://www.dyson.ae/en-AE/newsroom

About Dyson

Dyson is a global technology company with engineering, research, development, manufacturing and testing operations in Singapore, the UK, Malaysia, Mexico, China and the Philippines. Having started in a coach house in the UK, Dyson has consistently grown since it was established in 1993. Today, it has a global headquarters in Singapore and two technology campuses in the UK spanning over 700 acres in Malmesbury and Hullavington. Since 1993, Dyson has invested £1.7bn in its Wiltshire offices and laboratories that house the early-stage research, design and development of future Dyson technology. Dyson remains family-owned and employs 14,000 people globally including a 6,500 strong engineering team. It sells products in 85 markets in over 439 Dyson direct retail stores around the world, including a Dyson Virtual Reality Demo Store too.

Dyson is investing £2.75bn in the business to conceive revolutionary products and technologies, and has global teams of engineers, scientists and software developers focused on the development of solid-state battery cells, high-speed electric digital motors, sensing and vision systems, robotics, machine learning technologies and A.I. investment. Since inventing the first cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner – DC01- in 1993, Dyson has created problem solving technologies in air purification, robotics, haircare, lighting, hand drying, and now audio, with the Dyson Zone noise cancelling headphones with air purification.

The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology is a new model for engineering education combining the academic rigour of a traditional university with hands-on and real-world experience of working on live product and technology projects inside a global technology company. Dyson’s 156 Undergraduate Engineers are paid a salary from day one and pay no tuition fees; 33% of the Undergraduate Engineers identify as female, compared to a sector average of 19% for engineering and technology undergraduate courses. The Dyson Institute offers not just an education, but the start of an accelerated Dyson career.

Founded in 2002, the James Dyson Foundation is an international charity that empowers aspiring engineers, supports engineering education and invests in medical research, donating over £145m to charitable causes to date. The James Dyson Award is the Foundation’s annual design competition and is open to current and recent design and engineering students. Since starting in 2005, the Award has supported more than 400 inventions worldwide, providing funds to support their commercialisation; 70% of James Dyson Award past global winners are following up and pursuing their inventions full time.

The Dyson family established Dyson Farming in 2012. It is one of the largest farming businesses in the UK, extending to 36,000 acres across Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It is a family-owned enterprise unlike any other, focussed on long-term investment in British farming and the countryside. Sustainable food production, food security and the environment are vital to the UK’s health and economy. There is a real opportunity for agriculture to drive a revolution in technology and vice versa. Dyson Farming is developing new approaches to efficient, high-technology agriculture and food production.

Dyson Farming grows a range of produce including wheat and barley, potatoes, onions and peas – of which it is the largest single producer on the UK. It also produces beef and lamb, and grows British strawberries out of season in its state-of-the-art glasshouse which is heated by an adjacent anaerobic digester.

Key Products

• Dyson Supersonic Nural™ hair dryer: Smarter styling starts here. Powered by Dyson’s digital motor V9, the Supersonic Nural™ dries fast while protecting scalp health with Scalp Protect™ mode. Intelligent sensors adjust heat and pause airflow when set down, while a range of attachments – including the new Flyaway tool – caters to every hair type.
• Dyson Airwrap™ multi-styler: Dyson’s best performing and most efficient Airwrap yet, reengineered for faster, easier styling. One machine. 13 attachments. Multiple styles. Multiple hair types. Curl, shape, smooth and hide flyaways. With no extreme heat.

• Dyson Airstrait™ straightener: A new way to straighten, from wet to dry with air and no hot plates. No heat damage[1]. High-pressure airflow projected downwards at a 45° angle creates the tension needed to align hair for a smooth end style. Straightens from wet to dry, simplifying your routine. Engineered to create a natural straight finish.
• Dyson Corrale™ straightener: The only straightener to use flexing plates that shape to gather hair, this control enables styling with less heat and damage. It incorporates an intelligent sensor to regulate and adjust the temperature of its plates 100 times per second.
• Dyson Supersonic r™ Professional hair dryer: Dyson’s lightest, smallest, and most precise styling tool enabled by a new, energy-dense heater technology, as well as Dyson’s highspeed electric motor and intelligent Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) on its attachments to automatically adjust performance.
• Dyson OnTrac™ headphones: The most advanced noise-cancelling headphones powered by Dyson’s custom Active Noise Cancellation algorithm, delivering best-in-class noise reduction of up to 40dB. Featuring 40mm neodymium drivers and an enhanced frequency range of 6Hz to 21kHz, these headphones offer a fully immersive listening experience.
• Dyson Gen5detectTM cordless vacuum: The most powerful HEPA cordless vacuum that is powered by the new Dyson Gen5 Hyperdymium motor to deliver up to 280AW of suction power. It features our Fluffy OpticTM cleaner head that reveals twice the amount of invisible dust and traps 99.99% of particles down to 0.1 microns, the size of viruses.
• Dyson WashG1™ wet floor cleaner: Dyson’s first dedicated wet cleaner, designed for hard floors, launched in 2024. It uses dual rotating microfiber rollers and a continuous clean water system to remove wet and dry debris, ensuring efficient and hygienic cleaning.

News Credits- ZAWYA BY LSEG

In February 2025, Reliance Retail, under the leadership of Isha Ambani– the only daughter of billionaire Mukesh Ambani– brought back Shein to the Indian market, nearly five years after the Indian government had banned the original Shein app.

Earlier this year, Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, and his daughter, Isha Ambani, brought back Chinese fast-fashion brand, Shein, into the Indian market after a five-year ban imposed by the Indian government. However, Shein’s previous popularity has not translated into current success as the popular Chinese fashion brand has failed to gain any significant traction in India since its return.

Shein fails to make impact in India

According to data revealed by AppMagic, a US-based app performance tracker, the downloads of Shein India app plunged from 50,000 daily downloads in February, shortly after its launch, to just 3,311 in early April.

Recently, the Shein app has seen renewed interest after being in the news following US President Donald Trump’s tariff war against China, but experts are unsure whether this could translate into sustainable growth.

Reliance fails to make inroads into Indian e-commerce market

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has for years attempted to capture India’s bustling e-commerce market, and wrest market share away from industry leaders Amazon and Walmart-backed Flipkart who control a combined 60 percent of the country’s e-commerce sector. Despite acquiring majority holdings in firms ranging from digital services, online pharmaceuticals, to quick commerce and online retail in the last five years, Reliance has failed to pose any major challenge to market leaders Amazon and Flipkart, according to experts.

Reliance hopes to leverage Shein’s AI trendspotting capabilities

As per market analysts, Isha Ambani-led Reliance Retail– India’s largest retailer– pinned hopes on leveraging Shein’s AI-powered trendspotting and automated inventory systems to capture a major chunk of market share in India’s e-commerce market, which is expected to hit $345 billion by 2030.

Experts believe that Reliance could make use of customer data sets– that includes over 476 million Jio subscribers, 300 million JioMart users, and 452 million subscribers for Reliance’s news and entertainment portfolio, consisting of 63 channels, a streaming service, and digital news outlets– to feed Shein’s AI algorithm to create customized inventories for Indian consumers.

Notably, Shein’s original app employs AI-driven models to spot trends and for intelligent warehousing before the brand manufactures any new product. Shein website boasts a catalogue of over 600,000 items at any given time, and manufacturing is tweaked or scaled up, according to feedback.

However, the Shein India app fails to match up to its Chinese original, as is evident from customer reviews on Google Play and and Apple App Store, with users pointing to flaws like higher prices and reduced choices.

Isha Ambani brings back Shein– but a watered-down version of original?

In February 2025, Reliance Retail, under the leadership of Isha Ambani– the only daughter of billionaire Mukesh Ambani– brought back Shein to the Indian market, nearly five years after the Indian government had banned the original Shein app in the country in wake of India-China tensions at the time.

However, the Shein which was brought back by the Ambanis is a watered-down version of its global platform, and instead of selling Chinese-made clothes and accessories directly to consumers, Shein is now reduced to a technology partner while Reliance Retail handles everything from sourcing and manufacturing to distribution, as well as consumer data.

Author Credits: Gazi Abbas Shahid
India.com

Kmart Group’s new managing director Aleks Spaseska has outlined plans to double the discount department store’s sales to $20 billion within a decade by focusing on younger shoppers and expanding its beauty range.

At the centre of the Wesfarmers-owned retailer’s massive expansion strategy is its wildly popular Anko home brand, which Spaseska hopes to expand internationally, including with stand-alone stores in the Philippines. If successful, Kmart could roll out stores across South-East Asia.

Spaseska, 41, outlined her plans at a Wesfarmers strategy day after becoming the youngest divisional head at the conglomerate in April. Kmart Group runs its eponymous department stores, as well as the Target chain and a growing Anko business that started in-house and now has tie-ups with international retailers, including Walmart Canada and toy giant Mattel.

While Perth-headquartered Wesfarmers operates national stationery brand Officeworks and a major hardware chain in Bunnings, alongside a large lithium and chemicals division, its discount department store business has been powering the company’s earnings growth in recent years.

It had targeted $10 billion in sales, and surpassed that milestone last year. Spaseska told investors on Thursday that she aimed to double that figure and reach $2 billion in earnings over the next five to 10 years.

To achieve that, the company is planning a new store format targeting shoppers aged under 30 with a more curated fashion and beauty display. It has also introduced click-and-collect options, a technology that appeals to younger shoppers. Spaseska pointed to the growing number of users active on the Kmart app every month – doubling over the year to some 1.3 million – as evidence that the strategy was beginning to work.

Kmart is also opening a new $200 million distribution centre in Sydney’s west. The 100,000 square metre site will begin operating late in 2027 and will be used for stores and online orders for both Target and Kmart to replenish products faster, improve availability and reduce costs.

Anko was established as Kmart’s own brand in 2019 and now sells more than 1 billion items – from linen to fashion and toys – in Australia each year. Last year, Wesfarmers revealed the brand accounted for 85 per cent of sales at the department store, more than $4 billion in six months. Jarden analysts have previously valued Anko alone at more than $8 billion.

Spaseska is trialling stand-alone stores in the Philippines, where it is hoping to target a growing middle-class and already has two outlets. Three more will open by the end of the year, and if successful, the company may roll out stores across the region, Spaseska said in an interview.

“We’re taking a very methodical approach,” she said. “We’ll be able to test how that performs in different shopping centres and across different demographics across the country, and that’s going to provide critical data because it will allow us to be able to estimate how big it could be.”

Having already trialled selling products in the United States, Anko homewares and furniture is now on sale through Walmart Canada. The brand has also signed a distribution deal with European supermarket Action. “They are very large, and they are rapidly growing, and we see them as a really great partner into a number of European markets,” she said.

Tom Kierath, a Barrenjoey analyst, said that while Spaseska had not provided a clear timeline for the $20 billion sales target, the plan “illustrates the confidence management has in the Kmart growth trajectory”.

Kmart had “a number of growth drivers”, he said, which included the new format stores, the rollout of Anko internationally, and productivity improvements from new technology. Management “flagged it expects earnings to outpace sales growth”, indicating higher margins, Kierath said.

Wesfarmers’ chief executive, Rob Scott, said the Anko brand was crucial to the conglomerate’s growth, as were several other businesses. Among those were the company’s Priceline pharmacies business, which Wesfarmers has been investing in since acquiring its owner, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries, off the ASX in 2021 for more than $760 million.

The company is also developing its Atomica brand in a bid to capitalise on the booming demand for beauty and skincare products. The Australian Financial Review reported in March that Wesfarmers had begun experimenting with a new-look rebrand of some Priceline stores to compete with top-end Mecca and the lower-end MCoBeauty in the booming beauty category.

“It’s still early days, we only have a handful of stores that we’ve opened, but the attractive thing has been customers when they come into the store, they spend more, and international brands see it as a really exciting format,” Scott said about the success of the trial Atomica stores.

Scott, in an interview after the strategy day, said the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to cut interest rates this month was welcome news, but the central bank would need to cut twice more to spur spending. Small businesses, in particular, are important for Wesfarmers’ biggest division, Bunnings, and Officeworks.

Barrenjoey’s Kierath said that Wesfarmers continued “to execute well and delivered a measured but relatively strong earnings growth outlook across the board”, although he was more wary of its chemicals division.

Wesfarmers shares fell 97¢, or 1.2 per cent, to close at $83.09 on Thursday.

Author Credits- Carrle La Frenz
FINANCIAL REVIEW

Crocs‘ Terence Reilly is going to be busy creating brand heat for both the Crocs and Hey Dude brands.

Reilly, who rejoined Crocs in April 2024 as president for the Hey Dude brand, is now set to take over the newly created role of executive vice president and chief brand officer for both brands, effectively immediately.

According to the company, the former Crocs chief marketing officer — he left in 2020 to become president of the Stanley brand — will have both marketing and communications oversight for the two brands. He will continue to report to Crocs Inc. chief executive officer Andrew Rees, and will collaborate with both Anne Mehlman, executive vice president and brand president for Crocs, and the Hey Dude brand leadership team to drive strategy and execution. Rees will serve as interim president for the Hey Dude brand until a permanent structure is announced, the company said.

During Reilly’s tenure as brand president, he built a brand leadership bench that included bringing in Rupert Campbell as chief commercial officer and Kerstyn Chang as chief product and merchandising officer. Both Campbell and Chang will continue to drive forward the Hey Dude vision and will report to Rees.

“The power of the Crocs and Hey Dude brands is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 25-plus years of connecting with consumers and culture to drive lasting business results. We have two of the largest casual footwear brands in the world, loved by communities of passionate fans,” Reilly said. “While we have seen remarkable success over the last decade from Post Malone to Jelly Roll and so much in between, I believe we are just getting started.”

The collaboration between American rapper and singer Post Malone and Crocs began in 2018, while the first collaborative shoe between singer and songwriter Jelly Roll and Hey Dude was launched in October 2024. Crocs acquired the Hey Dude brand in 2022.

“Since Terence rejoined Crocs, Inc. in 2024, the Hey Dude brand has seen significant traction under his leadership. He has galvanized a team, sharpened the brand’s strategic focus and re-established authentic connections with our consumers. I am confident that the green shoots we are seeing today are building the foundation for sustainable long-term brand growth,” Rees said. “With Terence in this new role and in partnership with our proven leadership team, this shift will create an elevated focus on driving heat and energy for both our brands and spark disruptive innovation as we engage with our consumers and customers around the world.”

Reilly’s appointment as the firm’s chief brand officer comes at a time when growth in athleisure footwear is viewed as a period of opportunity for Crocs. UBS softlines analyst Jay Sole said in April that the global footwear industry has a compound annual growth rate of 5 percent to 6 percent, skewed to sports footwear. Athleisure is expected to drive the category, possibly at an annual 8 percent pace. And with other growth factors such as casualization and the focus on healthy lifestyles, Sole said the trend has extended to casual and comfort shoe styles, which he sees as a benefit to the Crocs brand.

The company on May 8 posted first quarter earnings results that bested Wall Street’s expectations. Net income was $160.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, on revenues of $937.3 million. Adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) were $3.00. Wall Street had expected adjusted diluted EPS of $2.49 on revenue of $907.9 million. While Crocs revenues were up 2.4 percent to $762 million, Hey Dude revenues were down 9.8 percent to $176 million.

During the company conference call after it posted earnings results, Rees said the Crocs brand was making progress in new product introductions, such as sandals. At Hey Dude, he said the team continued to make progress on “stabilizing the brand.”

Author Credits- Vicki M.Young
WWD

The retail industry in the GCC is undergoing a sweeping transformation. Once dominated by traditional models, the sector has now emerged as a key enabler of economic diversification, technological innovation, and consumer-centric growth, according to a report by LOGIC Consulting.

The sector is expanding rapidly and is projected to reach over $390 billion by 2028, driven by digital innovation, changing shopper behavior, and strategic government initiatives, stated LOGIC in its report, titled ‘Revolutionizing Retail: Unveiling GCC’s Five-Year Transformation.’

Retail is no longer just a transactional space in the region, it is becoming a cornerstone of national development agendas, fostering private investment and energizing adjacent sectors such as logistics, real estate, and tourism, it added.

The report highlights the evolution of consumer expectations across the GCC. Shoppers are now more digitally fluent, time-sensitive, and experience-driven.

With 87% of consumers in the region using both online and offline channels to make purchases, the retail experience is no longer linear – it is “phygital.”

Food, non-food retail on the rise

The GCC’s retail ecosystem is broadly split into two pillars: food and non-food, each showing robust but distinct growth paths.

Food retail is expected to grow from $127.2 billion in 2023 to $162 billion by 2028, supported by rising urbanization and shifting dietary preferences.

At the same time, non-food retail – including luxury, electronics, and fashion – is surging faster, with a CAGR of 6.2%, expected to hit $243.6 billion within the same period.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to lead the region, representing over 75% of all retail sales today – a share set to grow further.

Digital retail taking centrestage

From AI-enabled platforms to hyper-personalized e-commerce journeys, retailers are reinventing themselves at breakneck speed. The emergence of “quick commerce”; ultra-fast delivery in under 30 minutes, is reshaping how consumers access everyday essentials.

Digital-first players like Noon and Amazon.ae are competing head-to-head with legacy giants such as Carrefour and Lulu, who are now embedding AI, live inventory, and omnichannel logistics into their operating models.

The report outlines how organized retail is expanding, with nearly 4 million sq m of new retail space expected by 2028. Yet the future lies beyond square footage, experiential shopping, augmented reality, and predictive personalization are becoming the norm.

“Retailers in the GCC are no longer just selling products, they are curating journeys and building ecosystems,” stated Rabie. “Success hinges on who can best merge the physical with the digital,” he added.

The rise of value and purpose

While luxury retail continues to thrive, a powerful countertrend is emerging: value-driven retail. Private labels, cooperative societies, and budget-friendly chains are resonating with a growing middle class and price-sensitive consumers, said the report.

Simultaneously, ethical and sustainable retail is gaining momentum, with over half of GCC consumers now prioritizing environmentally responsible brands, it added.

The report concludes with five strategic calls to action for retailers aiming to thrive in the region’s evolving landscape:

*Define a compelling USP in a saturated, digitally competitive market.

*Embrace operational transformation through lean processes, data intelligence, and agile supply chains.

*Navigate market fragmentation with readiness for consolidation and joint ventures.

*Build strategic partnerships and ecosystems that drive innovation and speed to market.

*Adapt deeply to local market dynamics, tailoring everything from inventory to customer service.

As the region becomes a hub for tech-savvy, high-income, and experience-driven consumers, the retail sector is poised to become a defining pillar of the GCC’s post-oil economy, stated Rabie.

“The GCC is not just catching up to global retail trends, it is helping define them,” he noted. “This is a moment of reinvention, and those who lead now will set the tone for the next decade,” he added.

News Credits – ZAWYA BY LSEG

Amazon is testing AI-powered short-form audio summaries on select product detail pages, the e-commerce giant said on Wednesday, as tech companies continue to integrate artificial intelligence across their platforms.

The new feature offers summaries about products based on an AI-driven analysis of product details, customer reviews, and other related information from the internet.

Currently available for a subset of U.S. customers, the company plans to expand to more products and customers in the coming months.

Users can access these audio summaries by tapping the “Hear the highlights” button in the Amazon shopping app.

Amazon has intensified its focus on AI integration across its business, recently revitalizing Alexa+, a voice assistant powered by generative artificial intelligence.

The company has also integrated tools such as Rufus, its generative AI-powered shopping assistant that answers various shopping queries, and Shopping Guides, which provide guidance and product recommendations, onto its website.

Tech companies have been rapidly deploying AI tech to consumers, spurred by the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.

Last month, OpenAI updated ChatGPT’s web search capabilities to improve online shopping for users with personalized product recommendations with images, reviews, and direct purchase links.

Big Tech majors, including Google and Meta, have constantly rolled out new AI-driven features and updates across their products.

News Credits- FASHION NETWORK

Top South Korean companies, including the conglomerate Lotte Group, are planning to invest and expand into the Philippines, with a focus on food service, franchising, and retail modernization.

In a statement, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Secretary Cristina Roque met with officials of Lotte Group and other leading South Korean companies during her trade mission in Seoul, South Korea, last week.

The DTI said the meeting highlighted the companies’ plans to leverage their operational expertise and advanced retail models to contribute to the country’s growing economy.

“These companies aim to invest in joint ventures, master franchise agreements, and localized operations that will generate employment, strengthen supply chains, and modernize retail distribution in the country, progressing beyond exporting their brands,” it said.

During the meeting, Lotte GRS, the restaurant service arm of the Lotte Group, shared its intention to launch its flagship fast food brand Lotteria in the Philippines.

Upon launching, Lotteria aims to open at least 30 stores in the country over five years, harnessing local sourcing and workforce development.

Without disclosing the names of the companies, the DTI said some have also outlined plans to introduce “modern convenience store formats” tailored to the “urban Filipino lifestyle.”

The agency said these firms are looking to build on their success in markets such as Vietnam and Mongolia through partnerships with local operators.

The Korean companies told the DTI chief that they are committed to sourcing at least 95 percent of the products in their local stores within the Philippines itself.

Aside from food service and retail ventures, a number of firms are also exploring opportunities in restaurant expansion and import-export channels for the country’s agricultural and seafood products.

The DTI said one company, which it did not name, has recently signed a partnership with a local firm. It will reportedly open its first location in Manila by August.

Roque said the growing confidence in the Philippine market reflects the country’s young and dynamic population, as well as the strength of the economy.

She noted that the government is fostering an investor-friendly environment through strong incentives and streamlined processes, such as those under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act.

“The Philippines is open for business, and we are committed, aligned, and prepared to grow with our partners,” said Roque.

“As the Philippines continues to attract world-class partners, the DTI continues to work towards supporting foreign investors through services such as partner matchmaking, regulatory assistance, and investment facilitation,” she added.

Author Credits- Dexter Barro II
MANILA BULLETIN

Nike is set to raise prices on several of its products starting next week and will also return to selling its products at online retail giant Amazon, according to media reports, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs disrupt global supply chains and impact retailers’ profits.

The company, which sources a significant portion of its footwear from China and Vietnam, will increase prices on apparel and equipment for adults between $2 and $10, while footwear priced between $100 and $150 will see a $5 hike, CNBC reported.

Nike will also return to selling products on Amazon for the first time in six years, the Information reported, as the footwear maker works to regain market share from newer and trendier competitors, amid a turnaround under CEO Elliott Hill.

Nike and Amazon did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Shoes costing more than $150 will see their prices increased by $10, while products costing less than $100 will not experience any price hikes. Nike’s Air Force 1 shoes, which cost $155, are exempt from the increase, CNBC reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

With the critical back-to-school shopping season fast approaching, the company will maintain current prices for children’s products, the report added.

Nike’s products on Amazon are currently sold by independent merchants, and the footwear maker stopped selling on Amazon after two years on the platform in 2019, as it shifted focus to sales on its own websites and in stores.

Amazon notified some of those merchants that it will ban them from selling certain Nike products beginning July 19 because it was working with Nike directly, the Information reported, citing a message sent to merchants by the company.

German sportswear brand Puma also said earlier this month it had reduced shipments from China to the U.S. and might increase prices in the country due to tariffs.

News Credits- FASHION NETWORK

Home improvement retailer Lowe’s (LOW.N), opens new tab posted a smaller-than-expected drop in first-quarter sales on Wednesday and said it plans to keep its pricing competitive, without ruling out the possibility of price hikes on some items due to tariffs.
In a conference call on Wednesday, CEO Marvin Ellison said Lowe’s is “not donating share to any competitor by sitting back and not being price competitive.”

The comments were in contrast to those of competitor Home Depot (HD.N), opens new tab, which on Tuesday vowed to keep prices steady, but the companies maintained their annual forecasts.

Lowe’s CFO Brandon Sink said he expects profit margins to remain flat this fiscal year, noting that price impacts from tariffs would be concentrated in the second half of the year due to the company’s practice of selling older stock first.

Prices are a key topic in retail in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of big tariffs on key trading partners. The levies could even rise further in the coming months.

Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab last week warned that shoppers could soon face higher prices due to the U.S. tariffs, while Target (TGT.N), opens new tab lowered its annual sales and profit forecasts on Wednesday, citing weakening demand among shoppers.

Meanwhile, Lowe’s’ primary rival, Atlanta-based Home Depot, bet on its diversified supply chain and a strong hold on professional customers like contractors to mitigate tariff impact. But company executives admitted that if tariffs on certain items became untenable, they could disappear from shelves altogether.

Sales at Home Depot and Lowe’s have been hurt by tariff fears, which have contributed to a plunge in consumer sentiment and discouraged large-scale renovation projects that typically require customers to take out new loans.

Still, Lowe’s reported a smaller-than-expected drop in first-quarter comparable sales on Wednesday, helped by steady demand from construction professionals.

Ellison said strategic investments in its stores and technology helped it navigate better amid economic uncertainty and a slow housing market.

Last month, the company acquired Artisan Design for $1.33 billion to improve its focus on demand from professional home builders and property managers.

Lowe’s has also diversified its supply chain and added more local suppliers to help it mitigate the impact from U.S. tariffs.

About 60% of Lowe’s’ purchase volume comes from the U.S., Ellison said on the call, while 20% is sourced from China.

Bill Boltz, Lowe’s’ executive vice president of merchandising, said that items imported from China – the country most in Trump’s crosshairs – include holiday trees, ceiling fans, small appliances and tools.

The company expects 2025 comparable sales to be flat to 1% higher and earnings per share in the range of $12.15 to $12.40.

“Lowe’s guidance is in-line with current market expectations, which has to be seen as a net positive in this environment,” said Sheraz Mian, director of research at Zacks Investment Research.

The company reported a 1.7% drop in same-store sales for the quarter ended May 2, compared with analysts’ average estimate of a 2% decline, according to data compiled by LSEG. It earned $2.92 per share, above estimates of $2.87.

Shares of the company were down 2%.

Author Credits- Savyata Mishra and Nicholas P Brown
Reuters

Shopify on Wednesday rolled out a generative artificial intelligence feature that would allow merchants on its e-commerce platform to set up their online stores by entering descriptive keywords.

The “AI Store Builder” generates three store layouts, complete with images and text, based on the keywords, helping sellers significantly reduce the time and resources required to design their store website.

While Shopify has offered various AI-based tools and third-party applications to assist merchants in building their stores, the AI Store Builder is the first integrated feature that fully automates the website setup process.

“Instead of just having a merchant click and drag and fill out text fields on how they want their site to look – which can be really daunting for some – we thought why not ask them more open-ended questions and set up their store in the best likeness we can imagine, using AI,” said Vanessa Lee, vice president of product at Shopify.

Shopify has bet heavily on AI products to draw more merchants to its platform, offering tools that range from image generation to inventory management.

News Credits- FASHION NETWORK